Router Table Choice - Need Recommendations

[Pete London]

I've searched this site hi and lo and thought this subject needed further exploration. So here I go.

I have a Jet contractor TS with a INCRA TSLS32 and a left side router wing. I am getting ready to pull the trigger on more equipment and wanted some recommendations. So I am considering the following:

1. Add the Incra wonder fence, PRL lift (any lift), new 3.25hp router and dust box to the table saw or
2. Buy a Jessem Mast-R-Lift XL Complete Router Table setup plus new 3.25 hp router or
3. Buy a Bench Dog router table fully loaded off e-bay or
4. The Sommerfeld system and make my own cabinet or
5. A full Incra LS router systems with stand 25" LS plus add the lift and router (huge bucks).

These are not in any particular order so please let me hear your thoughts.

I will be building new cabinets for the house and other goodies. This will need to last me the my remaining life.

Thanks for the help.

[Brent Ring]

I don't know about you but I wanted the experience of building my own separate table for my Hit M12V. It is not done yet, but I have learned alot - Mostly about drawer slides! Anyway - Just my .02 - Planning on posting pics when complete!

[Jim O'Dell]

Pete, I haven't researched this, but can you add the Incra router fence capabilities to the TS fence? If so, that would save you some bucks. Get or build a better set up for your TS mounted router with whatever lift you decide on. I have the 25" LS positioner and PRL with a PC 7518 in a separate cabinet, and it is sweet. But any of the options you mentioned for a router and table would work fine. But I'd try to incorporate your current TS fence if that is possible. Jim.

[Chuck Burns]

When faced with the same decision I bought a top and lift and made the base. I bought a Woodpecker top for 109 and a PRL for 269. I then made a base out of baltic purch plywood. The PRL is for the Milw 3.5 hp (5625). The whole setup works great. The PRL is as solid as can be and is easy to adjust in extremely fine increments. I can;t imagine a finer lift.

As far as the top goes when I looked at what it would take to built the top it didn't seem that I would save much over buying he Woodpecker. After pricing out buying the MDF, formica, template and bit for the template and figuring my first top wouldn't be the equal of the WP I placed the order.

[Dave Falkenstein]

Since you already have an Incra fence on your table saw, you are familiar with how the Incra sets up and works. That would make me lean towards an Incra fence for a free-standing router table.

There are two reasons why I prefer a free-standing router table. First is the conflict that arises when using a saw-mounted router table. The router bit is often in the way of the material being cut on the saw. And the saw blade is often in the way of the material being routed - especially true if you have a left mounted router. Using the same fence for both the saw and the router table means changing the fence setup frequently, often in the middle of a project. I find having the two tools seperate a big advantage.

Second is the orientation of the operator to the router table. If you have the space, you can work from the left end of your table saw when routing. If you don't have the space, you will be working from the end of the router fence, which is totally awkward for me.

It makes a nice project to build your own router table cabinet and/or top. I like the plan available from Jointech for the cabinet, especially with an Incra (or Jointech) fence:

http://www.jointech.com/routerstation.htm

[Dan Henry]

If you have room in your shop, a stand a lone router table is a much better way to make your table saw and router work, as the post above, the router or the saw is in the way of each other. I have stand alone router table and I build in a 2nd router into the right side of my 52 inch table saw and the 2nd router gets in the way some times.

Buy a good router table top with a good router insert and make your own cabinet. Norms router table is good place to start, but make it fit your needs. The plex glass door is not needed, you do not need to see the router when is running, but do put in some make up air holes in the door for the dust control to work, The dust control air needs to have a good flow through the router areas to be effective. 3/4 MDF or good grade of birch plywood is good material for the cabinet. Make a lot of bit storage trays as the bits do multiply . The dust control is much better with the stand alone cabinet. and routers fling chips and dust every where!!

Dan

[Brad Ridgway]

I have the jessem (but top only) ... I used it at a class i took once and was really impressed (we made some raised panels doors with it) - seemed way better than the rockler i had with no measurements/lift on it.

I built my own carcus for drawers / access based on pictures of Norm's. I am hoping to finally attach the frame i built for it to the carcass this week. I bought a bunch of 1-1/4" aluminum 90 at lowes, used the factory jessem screws/ holes to attach to the top, then screwed to 2x4s on end. now need to shim and screw the 2xs to the top of the carcass


Sure won't be as pretty as Norms even after i get the face frame/etc all done, but i think it will work.


Downside: if you build your own top, you'll have a lot more space. My top dimensions are smaller than WxD of the carcass... However, the cart's on wheels and i built it so the top would be a hair higher than two formica counter tops i have to the left and right along one wall... so i would have some support when handling long stock...



My own downside - i just bought the Hitachi C10FHS and i think this location would be better for that than the router (esp cause i could a recess in the wall (the other walls are block!). I may do a rolling cart for both, but if i want to buil a real nice fence system/support (raised above the formica) i'm in a pickle...

sorry too much rambling...

[Terry Sparks]

I have two of Marc Sommerfeld's router tables, the old version that I learned routing and building cabinets with, and his new version table. Marc's system of building cabinets is the only way I build them, as I find it almost dummy proof in getting a very strong and very good cabinet. The first two cabinets I built using his tounge & groove system went rather slow, as I had to go back and re-watch his video on how to build the cabinet several times while building them. Now days, because it's that simple, I could build those same cabinets in my sleep and they would still be perfect, and with that, building cabinets has become very fast and easy to do.

[Matthew Voss]

There are two reasons why I prefer a free-standing router table. First is the conflict that arises when using a saw-mounted router table. The router bit is often in the way of the material being cut on the saw. And the saw blade is often in the way of the material being routed - especially true if you have a left mounted router. Using the same fence for both the saw and the router table means changing the fence setup frequently, often in the middle of a project. I find having the two tools seperate a big advantage.

I know many agree about keeping these separate but I don't underdstand this reasoning. Both the blade and bit drop beneath the table, yes?

I have a very small shop so a shared work surface makes the most sense for me. I happen to like using the shared fence and the addition of an aux fence takes all of 10 seconds.

[Greg Cole]

I bought the TS-LS 3 package I think it was... the super long TS rails & fence, router wonderfence, left side router table, lift etc... yes I can agree it's a wee bit pricey. I'd been staring at the Woodpeck catalogs for long enough, at the KC show last year I just bit the bullet and that was that.
The incremental positioner is ultra handy for routing stuff, but not quite as essential for the TS for my work style. I do like the repeatability and micro adjusting but could have lived without.
I made a DC enclosure for the RT out of 1/4" mdf with a 4" port that along with the 2 1/2" DC in the router fence I'm very pleased with the DC.
I like every piece of the INCRA stuff, other than the saggy table made by Woodpeck (might not sag if it was on a real base) versus hanging between TS rails. My other complaint is directed at myself for putting the RT on the left side of the TS. I'll wind up dedicating some time soon to make a free standing RT, I find myself cutting corners or not doing things as I should, simply cause I piss n moan about changing over if I have to do it a couple times in a day (doesn't take long, but it just bugs me, along with about 1,000,000 other things :rolleyes:).

Cheers.
Greg

[Dave Falkenstein]

I know many agree about keeping these separate but I don't underdstand this reasoning. Both the blade and bit drop beneath the table, yes?

I have a very small shop so a shared work surface makes the most sense for me. I happen to like using the shared fence and the addition of an aux fence takes all of 10 seconds.

Let's say you have your table saw set up to make some dado cuts, which required several test cuts to get the blade height and fence position just right. The next step in your project uses the router - maybe to do some edge work. So you must lower the table saw blade under the work surface and reposition the fence. Oops - you discover that you need to cut some additional dados. Let's go back and do that dado setup all over again. This kind of back and forth convinced me that I should switch from a saw table-mounted router to a free standing router table.

Of course, if space is a problem, then a tradeoff makes sense.

[Wayne Cannon]

I guess I'm in the minority, but forget the Incra fence. I have one and think it is overrated. It takes up a lot of space, isn't very rigid compared with a good router fence, and is best suited for tasks that you don't really do often and for which there are far more efficient approaches.

The Jessem Mast-R-Lift works great. Get a set of blank insert plates to fill in the gaps between the ones supplied.

The Bench Dog router table fence is one of the best (along with Woodhaven's) -- I've tried several.

After talking with Marc Sommerfeld at a couple of shows and seeing his table and fence in action, I liked what I saw -- especially the pivoting fence. I also liked the repeatable fence stop on his first version that is not available on his new aluminum table. I just purchased his setup for a second router table -- to replace my table saw extension table -- in addition to my stand-alone table. Sommerfeld's system is NOT flexible, e.g., for a router lift, other (shorter) fences, etc. It's not yet in service here.

Woodhaven has some of the best router accessories available and much less expensive than the over-hyped products. Some of them look amateurish or tinkertoy-ish, but they are well thought out and work great -- far better than most highly-advertised ones, and I've tried many. They have great tables and their fence is first rate, too. They have become my first go-to source for routing-related products. [no relation, except as a satisfied customer!]

[jim gossage]

i have the jessem mast-r-lift in the phenolic table. the lift works great - i especially like the ability to adjust the depth by 0.001" reproducibly. however, the phenolic table is not flat. mine had at least a 0.020" crown across its length (using a veritas straight edge), so pieces would rock on the table. not good. i sent it back and they sent another (after 2 months of harranguing phone calls) with a 0.015 crown in the other direction. i have examined 2 other tables at wood stores and both were crowned. the phenolic is very heavy duty, so it's probably a great table if you are lucky enough to get a flat one. however, the tech person at jessem told me that the table specs for flatness are +/- 0.020", so good luck!

[Michael Gibbons]

Pete, I have the original Marc Sommerfeld router table top and fence that he pushed when he was still with CMT. It's 3/4 in phenolic and just has your router base bolted to the underside. Works well, although I want to get a Jees'em router lift then I want to get another one set up just like it for when I make rail-n-stile doors. I built the cabinet myself just by looking at the pics in the catalog. The guy at the wwing show talked me out of buying their matching cabinet-GO FIGURE? I wish I would have though would of aved me grief.

[Doug Rogers]

If you are looking for longevity, I don't think you can beat the new Sommerfeld top and fence. Both are made of thick extruded aluminum. The top is 27"x 39" and must weigh close to 50 lbs. It comes in three pieces and bolts together with tonge and grooves.

The fence is 4' long and is 4.5" tall. It is also made of heavy extruded aluminum. Neither the top or the fence are going to warp or bend. Plans and a DVD are included for a cabinet.

No affilation just a satisfied customer.

Doug Rogers

[Pete London]

Thanks for all the feedback. I really like the beefiness of Sommerfeld system however I am a bit concerned that it does not provide enough flexibility as Wayne mentioned. One thing about the incra set up is that I could do Dovetails as well without buy all the extras.

So could I get the Incra to work as well as the Sommerfeld? Also Sommerfeld does not run too many discounts.

I'm surprised I am not hearing more about the Bench Dog arrangement, it too is beefy but again dovetail jig is extra.

I'll look at the Woodhaven as well.